THE VIBE: seventeen alternative combos, both old and new, play a pawful of intimate shows smack bang at the start of 2011 to nurse Londons concert goers through the traumas of the empty New Year gig calendar and help launch fierce pandas 17th birthday celebrations. As formulas go this one is simple but splendidly effective.

THE BACKSTORY: In January 1999 fierce panda records hosted the inaugural Pandamonium event at The Bull & Gate. Driven half-crazy by the traditional post-Christmas lull when the Black Magic box has been magically emptied the panda troops took it upon themselves to save the indie nation by putting on five nights' worth of alternative action at the Bull & Gate in the very first full week of the very new year. Eager North Londoners flocked from yards around, making all five shows a complete sellout, and if memory serves us correctly some young bucks called Coldplay opened up on one of the gigs.
Now, several panda moan-ups later, for the first time in twelve years Pandamonium is picking up its boots, heading back to its roots and finally returning to the warm bosom of the refurbished Bull & Gate for this annual five night stand. Not only that, but they have invited along a selection of their finest co-promoting friends to help choose the bands, and the likes of Best of Myspace, Stuntfox and brrrand new arrivals mybandsbetterthanyourband have sprinkled their gig magic dust over proceedings. So while the nation muddles through its Christmas cuddles it can rest (un)easy in the knowledge we are working on kicking all those facile New Years resolutions straight into touch. Retox, not detox, is the Pandamonium mantra. Lets go to quirk¬¶